Saturday, February 18, 2012

Legend of the Tortoiseshell Cat

When I blogged about my new kittens I mentioned a legend I read about tortoiseshell cats (or gatas carey in Spanish) that made me want to keep the tortoiseshell kitten from the litter. I saw a little bit of interest from the readers plus I think this legend is too awesome to only be available in Spanish so I decided to translate it for your enjoyment.

These cat's are very special because they're almost always females. Due to the way their genes are arranged to produce their coat colors it's very unlikely that the product would be a male kitten. If you want further information on that you can read it here.

Legend says that many centuries ago the Sun begged the Moon to cover him for a while so that he could have the chance to leave the heavens and wander freely around Earth. The Sun no longer wanted to be the center of the universe and wanted to be able to go unnoticed among all the living creatures.

The Sun insisted so much that on a bright June morning the Moon slowly started moving towards him until she covered its light. The movement was slow, so that the creatures below wouldn't be surprised by the sudden darkness.

As soon as the Sun could step down from its place, it headed towards Earth. To avoid calling attention to itself, the Sun took the body of the fastest and most discreet creature around; a black cat.

The Moon quickly grew tired of covering for the Sun and, without warning, started to recede. The Sun noticed this and in its haste to return to its place left behind thousands of rays in its mortal host.

To this day, the cats we call tortoiseshell are the descendants of that black cat that long ago hosted the sun during its visit to Earth. Today we can still see hints of the sun in the patches of red, yellow and orange that cover their coats. The split face on some of these cats is further evidence of their dual nature; half cat, half heavenly star.

Some folks say that their solar origin grants these special cats magical properties, they are said to bring good luck and attract positive energy. Also, these cats are very loved and appreciated in Oriental countries; it's common knowledge that whoever possesses one should cherish and treasure her.

The picture above shows a few tortoiseshell cats, I'll provide a little bit of information for each of them so you can get to know them and maybe even visit their cyber homes.

1) Bigger Picture: My 1 week old litter of kittens, one of them is a tortoiseshell. That picture was taken today.

You are welcome! I've read from several sources and cat owners that these cats are special. I think I'll definitely keep my kitty :D. Tell Fafi I send her a bunch of treats and lots of pettings. Take care!

Beautiful story thankyou so much for english translation. We've got a beaut of a tortoiseshell kitty called Esmerelda, and this makes me even more happy to have her, there are some pictures on my blog! *happyhappy* :)

I have a super rare male tortoiseshell kitty! When I called to make his first vet appointment, they didn't believe me! He was a star at the office. They had never seen one before! He is a super cutie pie! I will do a blog post about him soon and post some pics! : )